Knights old boys weigh in and the time for players to man up
Kenty Blitz tackles the leadership crisis at the Newcastle Knights following the announcement that Adam O’Brien will depart at the end of the season. The panel discusses Andrew Johns’ scathing critique of the club, the dangers of over-investing in a single player, and the ‘purgatory players’ holding the Knights back.
The Knights' Identity Crisis
Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns recently took a tour of the Knights' facilities to hear their future plans, but Kent notes that the club legend remains unconvinced. The core issue, Kent argues, is that the Knights have become a "facsimile" of better-performing clubs, losing their unique identity in the process.
"The Knights have lost their identity so much that the people who are there now no longer know who they are. They look like a bit of a facsimile of other clubs—better performed clubs—and they're trying to copy what they're doing, but the copy is not quite up to the original."
A major part of this failure is the recruitment of what Johns calls ‘purgatory players’—those who are too good for Reserve Grade but not consistent enough for the NRL. Kent argues that the Knights are paying "overs" for these middle-tier players because they lack a strong junior development system to fill those roles naturally.
The Salary Cap Imbalance: Ponga and Brown
Newcastle’s recruitment strategy has also left them top-heavy. With massive portions of the salary cap tied up in Kalyn Ponga and the incoming Dylan Brown, Kent warns that the club is repeating mistakes that have hampered them for years.
"They have a strategy of putting so much money into Ponga it weakens their other areas. Newcastle have got so much money invested in one player in the spine it's really suffered. The response to that is to go out and pay an absolute fortune for Dylan Brown. Between the pair of them, they are taking up over 20% of the salary cap next season. That’s going to be really hard to put anything around them of any quality."
The ‘Two Ts’ of Newcastle Football
Reflecting on the club’s history, Kent recalled the simple philosophy of the Knights' foundation coach, Allan McMahon: "Toughness and Tomorrows." To make the team, a player had to be physically resilient and have a clear path to long-term development.
"If you go through that Knights squad now, there's not a lot of players with the 'Two Ts.' They are signing these purgatory players who will come in and do a job, play 18 games if there's an injury, but they're not really going to win you those games. They’re not going to make a difference."
Accountability: Tino Fa'asuamaleaui vs The Titans
Turning to the Gold Coast, Kent praised Titans captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui for his "refreshing" and "inspirational" leadership following the sacking of Des Hasler. Tino publicly noted that while coaches have been held accountable, the players must now take responsibility for the club’s failings.
"Tino came out and said the only two people who have been held accountable are Justin Holbrook and now Des Hasler. That is really good leadership. He’s putting it back on the players. I want to see how they respond on Sunday. It’s not so much about the result; it’s about the character they show."
Round 26 Matchups: Form and Expectations
The panel provided a rapid-fire preview of a Round 26 schedule that has been heavily disrupted by teams resting star players:
- Bulldogs vs Panthers: "I don't think there's pressure on the Dogs to play well... I expect a pretty good performance from Canterbury being this close to the finals."
- Storm vs Roosters: "The Roosters have had a tough week. Brandon Smith didn't do anything wrong in regard to the Roosters... but they don't go well against Melbourne. Tip Melbourne."
- Dragons vs Sea Eagles: Kent labelled this a "dog of a game" with no interest for him as both teams are effectively out of the hunt.
- Sharks vs Knights: Kent expects the Sharks to "take the sword" to a "wishy-washy" Knights squad that appears to be playing without a clear direction.
Watch the whole episode on Fanatics TV.
